Reverse Kesa Gatame
Position · Side Control
You sit beside his chest facing his legs, your hip against his ribs and his near arm trapped under your armpit. Your back is to his face, your legs spread wide toward his hips for base, and your weight leans back into his chest so his shoulders stay on the mat. Your arms are free to work on his near arm and his hips, while the trapped arm and your hip on his ribs keep him from turning in. If he frames on your hip with his far hand, the Kimura; if his knees fall away, step over into mount. He wants to bridge and turn into your back or get his knees between you; keep your hip glued to his ribs and do not sit up too high.
How to do it
- From side control, when they turn in to you, switch your hips to face their legs. Turn on your hip without lifting your chest off them.
- Sit on your hip beside their chest, your back against their shoulder and your hip low against their ribs. With your hip on the ribs they cannot turn into you.
- Trap their near arm under your armpit before you settle. A trapped arm cannot frame on your hip.
- Post a hand on the mat by their hip and spread your legs wide like a tripod, weight low. Hug their body to close the space and scoot slightly toward their head to limit the arms.
- From here step over to mount, attack the trapped arm or go to kesa gatame. With the near arm trapped, mount is one step away.
Key details
- Your hip is on their ribs: they cannot turn into you. The hip blocks the turn that would bring their knees back in.
- The trapped arm cannot frame: mount is one step away. Without that frame nothing stops your leg from stepping over.
- Wide legs, weight low: they will try to bridge you over their head. A wide base takes the momentum out of the bridge.
- In judo this is ushiro-kesa-gatame: your hip on their side, facing their legs. It mirrors kesa gatame, which faces the head.
- Hug their body to close the space and scoot slightly toward their head to limit the arms. Less space means fewer frames and no room to shrimp.
Common mistakes
- Sitting high on their chest. — Your weight is above their bridge, so they bridge and roll you over their head. — Sit low, hip against their ribs.
- Leaving the near arm free. — It frames on your hip and they recover guard. — Trap the arm under your armpit before you settle.
- Legs close together. — With a narrow base one push to the side and you lose the position. — Keep the legs wide like a tripod.
If they defend
- They shrimp away and bring the knee in. → Step over the knee to mount before it arrives.
- They bridge toward their head. → Widen the base and switch back to kesa gatame.
How to drill it
Switch between side control, reverse kesa and kesa, 10 transitions; then the partner tries to escape for 1 minute.
What comes next
Where it comes from